Mr Imeh Usuah, a heroically honest taxi driver who returned N18 million that was left in his cab by a foreigner; Mr Onuh Isaac Michael, the diligent Chief Steward at the Presidential Villa, who has served nine Heads of State; Corporal Solomon Dauda, a dancing Abuja traffic warden who approaches his duties with a cheerful dedication that puts smiles on the faces of the motorists he entertains; and Mr Taiwo Akinkunmi, an elderly gent who designed our flag.
Usuah, Michael and Dauda also got free three-bedroom apartments, while Akinkunmi was promised a Presidential Special Assistant’s salary for the rest of his life.
Mr Imeh Usuah, a heroically honest taxi driver who returned N18 million that was left in his cab by a foreigner; Mr Onuh Isaac Michael, the diligent Chief Steward at the Presidential Villa, who has served nine Heads of State; Corporal Solomon Dauda, a dancing Abuja traffic warden who approaches his duties with a cheerful dedication that puts smiles on the faces of the motorists he entertains; and Mr Taiwo Akinkunmi, an elderly gent who designed our flag.
Usuah, Michael and Dauda also got free three-bedroom apartments, while Akinkunmi was promised a Presidential Special Assistant’s salary for the rest of his life.
President Goodluck Jonathan (L), presenting a 'Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR)' Award To A Taxi Driver, Mr Imeh Usuah, who returned the sum of N18m (Eighteen Million Naira) forgotten in his car by a customer, in Abuja on Monday (29/9/14).
President Goodluck Jonathan (L), presenting a ‘Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR)’ Award To A Taxi Driver, Mr Imeh Usuah, who returned the sum of N18m (Eighteen Million Naira) forgotten in his car by a customer, in Abuja on Monday (29/9/14).
It was SO refreshing to watch these regular folks, who haven’t enjoyed cosily privileged VIP existences, being recognised so generously and publicly.
Dame Patience Jonathan
I am in my state capital – Port Harcourt – at the moment; and I keep hearing worrying stories about Dame Patience Jonathan’s participation in local politics.
I suspect that at least some of these stories are true because even though the First Lady is not highly visible or highly vocal at the moment, she has a feisty personality and has been highly visible and highly vocal in the past.
Furthermore, it is no secret that she is not only one of Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s biggest opponents but also happens to be the main backer of Chief Nyesom Wike, the Minister of State for Education…who used to be Amaechi’s bosom buddy and Chief of Staff, but is now his ex-Boss’s sworn enemy.
The question I want to ask is this:
Is it proper, ethical or constitutional for a First Lady to become so deeply immersed in toxic controversies or to side with a particular faction?
Yes, Rivers is her home state. And, yes, we are all human and all have personal preferences. But should she not be copying Michelle Obama and Samantha Cameron – the immensely dignified wives of the British Prime Minister and American President – whose personal preferences are not crudely obvious?
I will be A LOT happier if Madame classily conceals her biases and discreetly conducts herself like a tolerant Mother to ALL Rivers and Nigerian citizens.
I will also be A LOT happier if she solely concentrates on taking care of her husband domestically and on quietly running her NGO. But if she cannot resist the temptation to enter wahala and feels obliged to actively participate in Rivers shenanigans, can she please try to make peace between the dogged hot-heads who are driving warring factions…instead of making things worse?!
We need to protest more
Nigerians, this columnist included, are always whingeing about one issue or the other. My key beef is the fact that constant electricity continues to be elusive.
In the part of Port Harcourt in which my family home is situated, we are largely dependent on generators. And since I and most of my neighbours are not rich, we are struggling to cope with the cost of the diesel that fuels our generators.
And even if we were affluent enough to breezily dismiss the cost of diesel, no generator can survive constant usage. And there are times when a generator has to be switched off, so it can rest.
Some of my friends have two generators, so that one can be on while the other is resting. But I and most folks in my social circle cannot afford this luxury.
I have been monitoring developments in Hong Kong, where students and others are engaged in vigorous democracy-related protests, even though their problems are far less marked than ours; and I wonder why we are so docile.
We’ll never get the benefits we yearn for until we quit being pathetically supine.
Independence day complaint!
One of my regular respondents – Ifeka Okonkwo (ifekaokonkwo@yahoo.com) – sent me the following email a couple of days ago, on the eve of October l; and I’m publishing it because it articulately echoes similarly embittered sentiments that many other Vanguard readers have shared with me in recent months.
In other words, President Goodluck Jonathan and his team have a long way to go, image-wise, and need to try harder if they want to be genuinely popular!
Better to win an election because voters think you are a great leader than to win purely because you have huge Powers Of Incumbency at your disposal.
Our country still rudderless at 54
It is really sad that we are celebrating our 54th anniversary as an independent nation, even though our present crop of corrupt, greedy, selfish and clueless politicians are not putting enough thought into solving problems like the high cost of governance and creating jobs for the unemployed – who are fueling the general insecurity of lives and property in all parts of our country.
They are not doing anything about the looting of public coffers, which is stunting our growth. All they are thinking about is how to win elections in 2015.
They are not thinking about how we will survive when our oil eventually dries up. They are bereft of ideas about how to dynamically diversify our economy.
Shame on them for lacking vision and focus…and for bringing our richly blessed country to her knees and making her crawl like a baby at the age of 54!
Let me also publish another complaint from another regular respondent – a Niger Deltan called Chief Bobson (+2347068621168):
Jonathan’s regime is the most corrupt in the annals of Nigeria’s political and socio-economic history. We will continue to wallow in the squalor of poverty unless Nigerians decide to rise up and fight against the destroyers of our common patrimony and destiny ( PDP/APC and their likes).
In the interests of journalistic balance, I would have gladly published a pro-Jonathan email or text message. But I haven’t received any recently.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/national-honours/#sthash.0HGBfMJ0.dpuf
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